Objective: To describe the type and percent of contact that occurred for preterm infants and the persons providing the contact Hours 0-48 postbirth.
Design: Randomized controlled trial with assignment by computerized minimization to kangaroo care (n=47) or controls (n=44).
Population, Sample, Setting, Years: The population is healthy preterm infants 32 to <37 weeks gestation. The sample consisted of 91 similar infants in a large maternity hospital and the adjacent children's hospital at a tertiary care center in the upper Midwest. The study has just been completed.
Intervention: Kangaroo (skin-to-skin) care (KC)
Variables measured: Type and percent of contact (skin-to-skin versus holding wrapped in blankets) and the persons providing the contact.
Method: The research protocol lasted 5 days (120 hours) for each dyad if possible. Researchers collected data in both groups and facilitated the KC intervention. Mothers were routinely discharged at 48 hours; infants who were healthy enough were also discharged at this time. Using the Index of Mother-Infant Separation (IMIS), contact data was sampled every 15 minutes Hours 1 to 6; sampling continued with decreasing frequency, reaching every 3 hours during Hours 24 to 48. Total duration of contact was obtained by having the mother record the type and duration of contact in the Contact Log each time she held her infant. Contact by others (e.g., relatives, friends, and nurses) was also recorded in the IMIS and the Contact Log. When necessary, research nurses verbally validated contact entries with the mothers.
Findings: When data entry is complete the data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics. What can be reported at this time, however, is that the amount of skin-to-skin contact was much less than expected, even with the support provided by the research team.
Implications: Kangaroo care for preterm infants is known to have benefits for example more stable temperature, improved behavioral state, and more successful breastfeeding. Thus the relatively small amount of skin-to-skin holding that occurred is a concern. Reasons for these minimal amounts included hospital staff interrupting holding, often unnecessarily, and unavailability of infants or mothers. Hospital and social supports for families are needed to facilitate early initiation of skin-to-skin contact and prolonged periods of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact and to reduce maternal stress.
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